Stocking leg



July 7, 1925. 1,545,263

' H. LICHTEN STOCKING LEG Filed March 10, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r V 42 vINVENTOR July 7, 1925. 1,545,263

H. LICHTEN STOCKING LEG Filed March 10, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Hwk; Lz'c/uerz A TTORNE Y Patented July 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES HAROLD LIGHTEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STOCKING LEG.

Application filed March 10, 1924. Serial No. 697,994.

knitting. More specifically the invention relates to the type ofstocking shown in the patent to John Hadfield, J r., No. 1,444,684e,dated February 6, 1923, wherein the top of a stocking is knit on acircular knitting machine, then removed from such circular machine andtransferred to a machine for c011 tinuing the knitting of the leg by thefull fashioned method, which is nothing more than a form of theWell-known topping on operation. Under the aforesaid patent, it isnecessary to employ skilled operators to carry out the requiredintricate and exacting operation of transferring the end course of thecircular knit fabric on to the needles of the full fashioned machine.This step consumes considerable time and while being carried out theexpensive full fashioned machine is idle. a

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing.disadvantages of the Hadfield method by eliminating the need forexperienced, high salaried help and loss of time by idle machines;further objects of the present invention are to provide a strong durablestocking formed by a combination of circular knitting and full fashionedknitting; to provide a method of forming a stocking leg embodying twosep-- arate and distinct knitting operations carried out eitherseparately or simultaneously and without the necessity of the machine ofeither operation remaining idle; to 'provide a method of making astocking leg in part by circular knitting and in part by full fashionedknitting whereby costs of manufacture are reduced, and increasedproduction assured; and to pro-vide other improvements as willhereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents a stocking top or upperportion of a stocking leg formed as a circular or seamless fabric; Fig.2 represents the same split longitudinally and spread flat; Fig. 3represents a lower portion of a stocking leg formed as a flat or fullfashioned fabric; Flg. 4 represents the lower leg portion of thestocking with the foot formed thereon; F'g. 5 represents the stockingtop and leg portion seamed together end to end; and Fig. 6 represents amodified form of stock- 1ng top to which the invention is applicable.

Referring to the drawings, one form of the present invention consists inseparately knitting a stocking top 10 and a stocking leg 11, the twobeing knit by different, separate and distinct knitting operations, andthereafter joining the two completed portions, as will be explained.

The stocking toplO, which consists of the welt and knee portion, isformed as a circular or seamless fabric and is preferably knit on acircular knitting machineuntil it is the desired or usual length of theupper portion of a stocking leg, and since under the present inventionthis top is formed entirely separate from the knitting of the leg andupon a different type of machine, the machine can be continuouslyoperated and produce as'many tops'as are required. While the seamlesstype of machine is forming the fabric of the top 10, a machine ofanother type, preferably a full fashioned machine, is forming thestocking leg portion 11, which is a flat fabric, so that this machinecan also be operated continuously toturn out as many leg portions as arerequired.

It is these two separately formedfabrics that form the complete leg ofthe stock ing when they are properly joined together, anditisimmaterial, in so far as the present invention is concerned, whetherthe top 10 is a fabric with a double thickness welt 12 or a welt ofsingle thickness which may be turned to provide the double thicknesswelt of commercial form.

To unite the top portion 10 to the leg portion 11 the seamless fabric ofthe top 10 is cut longitudinally on a line 14, which is generallyindicated by a suitable means, such for example as the dropping of astitch at the same place in the successive courses of the fabric. Thetop 10 is now spread flat, and, as it has been designed to have the sameflat width as the width of the leg to which it is to be attached, thelower end course will-match the upper end course of the leg portion 11.These two end courses are now brought together in a machine known as alooper, and thereby permanently sewn together with a lock stitch whichprevents running and raveling, and produces a neat, inconspicuous seam15.

Following the foregoing step the incomplete stocking is folded to bringits two longitudinal edges together so that the toe, heel and back ofthe leg are joined together by a seam 16 to form the complete stockingas shown in Fig. 5.

While broadly the present invention relates to a stocking leg to which afoot, a strap or any other'holding means for the bottom end can be knitor otherwise attached, it will be more generally employed with anordinary knit foot 13 to form a stocking of the usual kind. This foot 13is knit' on a footer to which the leg portion 11 has been transferred,and if the foot is knit to the leg 11 before its attachment to the topor upper portion 10, the appearance will be as shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 6 another embodiment of the inventionis shownwherein a stockingtop 17 is shown corresponding in allessentials to the fabric of Fig. 1,but instead of having an unbroken circular shape it is formed on areciprocating type of circular knitting machine which produces a fabricdivided longitudinally as shown at 18 and having the two opposed marginsfinished respectively with selvages 20 and 21. By employing a machinewhich produces a fabric of this type, the step of cutting or splittingthe fabric is eliminated and the fabric is at once in shape to spreadflat in matching relation with the lower fiat leg portion 11.

It will now be apparent that a method of making a stocking has beendevised which greatly increases production, is cheaper to manufacture,and has all the desirable features of appearance and qualities of longwear. By the present method it is unnecessary to transfer one knitportion from one machine to another of a different type to complete thestocking, and thereby loss of time and production caused by idlemachines are eliminated. Attention is also directed to the fact that thepresent method lends itself to flexible control of production becausethe steps of the method are subject from the invention.

to optional variations without departing Thus, for example, should afooting machine be temporarily out of commission there need be no timelost in the method because during such interval the completed legportion 11 can be sent direct to the seaming or loop-ing machines to bejoined to the top portion 10 and thereafter returned to the footer forknitting a foot thereon. It is preferred, however, to carry out thepresent method by knitting the foot to the'leg prior to the attaching ofthe top to the leg because it has the advantage of more nearly insuringa matching ofthe leg fabric with thefoot fabric. Thus where the legs godirectly to the footer the probabilities are in favor of the silk orthread being from the same case and therefore require no change in theneedle setting to give the same appearance to both leg and foot fabrics.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of making a stocking leg which consists in circularknitting the top or upper portion of the leg to form a cir-.

cular seamless fabric, separately knitting the lower leg portion flat byfull fashion knitting, slitting said seamless fabric longitudinally andspreading it flat, looping the two portions together in end to endrelation to form an open stocking leg, folding said open leg lengthwise,and seaming the meeting edges throughout the length of the joined legportions.

2. The method of making a stocking leg which consists in knitting thelower portion of the leg as'a flat fabricby full fashion knitting,circular knitting the upper portion of the leg to form a tubular webhalf as wide as said flat fabric, cutting said web longitudinally andspreading fiat in end to end relation to said fiat fabric, looping thetwo portions together to form an open stocking leg, folding said openleg lengthwise, and seaming the meeting edges throughout the length ofthe joined leg portion.

Signed at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, this 5th day of March, 1924.

c HAROLD. LIOHTEN.

